Henk grew up on a farm, so agriculture had always been a big part of his life. For many years, he thought he would become a farmer himself. With that in mind, he went on to study at the agricultural college in Dronten.

While he was there, he also became interested in computers. Back home, most things were still done on paper, but during his studies Henk started working more and more with computers and taught himself how to program.

After graduating, he began looking at opportunities in IT as well. That was when he came across a vacancy at UNIFORM-Agri. He had already applied once for a helpdesk position but was not selected. Six months later, he decided to try again, this time for a software developer role. This time, he got the job.

When Henk joined UNIFORM-Agri in 1998, the company was in the middle of a major transition from DOS to Windows. At the time, the development team consisted of just four people. Together, they had to learn a new programming language and build an entirely new generation of software. “We were really breaking new ground. There was a lot of trial and error, and we had to figure things out as we went.”

The move to Windows and the Delphi programming language brought its share of challenges. The first version of the software taught the team a lot, but it soon became clear that they needed a different approach to create a stable product. “In the end, we scrapped everything and started again from scratch.”

Starting over gave the team a much stronger foundation to build on. During this period, Henk worked closely with more experienced colleagues, including René Kuperus. “René had an incredible amount of knowledge. I learned so much from him.”

For Henk, working in software development means constantly learning. Technology never stands still, so you have to keep moving with it. During his years at UNIFORM-Agri, he has seen several major changes: the move from DOS to Windows, the continued development of the Windows software, the shift to the cloud and, more recently, the transition from Delphi to C#. “In a way, we’ve had to start over several times.”

Over the years, Henk has worked on a wide range of projects. One he remembers particularly fondly is the TIM project for SAC, which brought the functionality of the SAC robot and UNIFORM’s management software together in a single integrated program for users. The TMR Tracker project for Digistar, now Topcon, was another project that stood out.

These days, Henk mainly works on the backend of the cloud environment. An important part of this is making data from the existing 5.4 software available in the cloud. Customer data is uploaded overnight, so authorized consultants can work with the latest information.

After almost three decades with the same company, it is only natural to ask what has kept Henk at UNIFORM-Agri for all these years. “I still genuinely enjoy working here. I honestly can’t imagine being happier anywhere else.”

Henk also appreciates the way people work at UNIFORM-Agri. Developers are involved in the full journey of a project and are encouraged to contribute ideas, rather than simply being given tasks to carry out. His agricultural background helps too, because it gives him a good understanding of how customers work in practice.

Alongside the major technological changes, it is often the smaller stories that make a company’s history memorable. One of Henk’s favourites comes from a trip to the United States for a project with AgSource.

While in Wisconsin, Henk and a colleague spotted a cow decoration in a supermarket with the words “Wisconsin America’s Dairyland” on it. They thought it would be a great souvenir for the office and asked if they could have one. The store manager happened to have another one in storage. It travelled back to the Netherlands with them and is still hanging in the office today.

The cow from Wisconsin

Looking back on his 28 years at UNIFORM-Agri, Henk mainly sees a story of continuous change and development. What started as an interest in computers grew into a career in which he has helped shape an international software company.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve built here together. It’s an incredibly comprehensive software package, available in more than 50 languages and used in at least as many countries.”